Sometimes I get ideas when I travel, or a person’s personality spurs me to create something, but this week I was inspired by food from other ethnic cuisines.

I made an easy and delicious Moroccan-inspired chicken soup with couscous. I started with basic broth and added a cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to infuse it with different flavor. Then I sautéed onions and zucchini in cumin and added that to the broth. I tossed in shredded rotisserie chicken, carrots, cilantro, dried apricots (optional), and let it simmer. It was easy, healthy and delicious.

My family loved this soup and I was thrilled because I didn’t know how it would be received since it’s very different. The cinnamon and cardamom added nice depth to the broth.

For my next recipe, I turned to Mexico. I love chicken mole, but mole sauce is complicated, time consuming, and requires a lot of ingredients, so I came up with a cheater, slow-cooker version. I simply combined chicken thighs with store bought mole sauce, onions, cumin, cinnamon, chicken stock, cilantro and a sprinkle of chocolate at the end. I find store-bought mole sauce kind of bland, which is why I came up with this doctored-up version.

The meat was so tender it fell apart when I touched it with a fork. The sauce was dark, rich, and lovely. I served it over rice, but you could also use it in enchiladas or tacos.

The last recipe, a butternut squash stuffed with quinoa, is one of my best friend’s inventions. She made it for dinner and I absolutely loved it. She stuffed cooked butternut squash with quinoa mixed with dried cranberries, dried apricots, pecans and garam masala which is an Indian spice blend. It’s a lovely flavor combination.

My recipe calls for chicken stock but you can make it vegetarian by using vegetarian stock. The quinoa and pecans provide protein in this dish. You can serve it as a main course or side dish if you cut the portion in half. If you serve it as a side, it pairs well with pork, roast turkey, or chicken sausages.

This is a time-consuming dish, but it’s still easy to make. I hope you enjoy the recipes.

Butternut squash is stuffed with quinoa filled with pecans, dried cranberries and apricots. It is brushed with maple syrup and garam masala for a sweet and spicy finish.(Photo: Juliana Goodwin)

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Quinoa

Serves 4

2 large butternut squash

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ½ cups water

1 cup uncooked white quinoa

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

½ cup pecan halves

1/3 cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried apricot slices

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut squash in half horizontally and remove the seeds and guts. Poke the neck of the squash a few times with a fork. Rub olive oil all over the surface. Place in a large glass pan, flesh side up, and add the 1 ½ cups water to the pan to add moisture. Bake 55 minutes.

Then remove and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the squash and return to the oven and cook 5-10 minutes until tender.

While the squash cooks, make quinoa according to directions, except substitute chicken stock for the water in the recipe and add 1 teaspoon only of garam masala.

While the quinoa cooks, slice the apricots. When the quinoa is done, toss it with pecans, dried cranberries, apricot slices.

When squash is done, remove and stuff it with quinoa. Brush the flesh with maple syrup and remaining garam masala and serve immediately.

This soup was inspired by Moroccan cuisine and has cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, cilantro and couscous. It's delicious and easy to make.(Photo: Juliana Goodwin)

Moroccan-Inspired Chicken Soup with Couscous

6 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion

1 small zucchini

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

¼ cup cilantro

1/3 cup sliced dried apricots (optional)

2/3 cup shredded carrots

1 box garlic or plain couscous

First, put the chicken broth on to boil on high, and add cinnamon stick and cardamom as soon as the broth starts to bubble.

Chop the onion, zucchini and shred the chicken and set aside. I bought pre-shredded carrots but if you need to shred carrots, shred them.

Make couscous according to package directions and set aside.

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil and then add the onion, zucchini, and cumin and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the vegetables to the broth and stir in the chicken, cilantro, and dried apricots if you are using them. Simmer for 15 minutes and then serve with a scoop of couscous in each bowl (about 1/3 cup), and the soup on top.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken

8-10 skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup Dona Maria mole sauce (or favorite mole sauce)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup water or beer

1 large onion, shredded

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

¼ cup cilantro

White rice for serving

I bought this mole sauce at Walmart. If you can’t find the specific brand, there are similar ones in the Hispanic section of the grocery story.

Place the first eight ingredients (up to the chocolate chips) in a slow cooker, stir thoroughly, and turn on 4 or 6 hour setting. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the chocolate chips. When the chicken is ready, top with cilantro and serve over white rice with corn tortillas.

The chicken is so tender it just falls apart and the sauce is rich.

Side dishes that are good with this include corn, salad, guacamole and sour cream.

Juliana Goodwin is author of “Rotisserie Chicken Queen: 50 Fabulous Recipes That Start With Rotisserie Chicken.” If you have a question concerning a recipe, email her at julianalovesfood23@gmail.com

Butternut squash is stuffed with quinoa filled with pecans, dried cranberries and apricots. It is brushed with maple syrup and garam masala for a sweet and spicy finish.(Photo: Juliana Goodwin)